The present invention relates to a horizontal stacking column for storing articles one beside the other, at intervals from one another, on two-armed ratchet levers, which are mounted such that they can be rotated on rotary spindles arranged between two wall strips and have, on the one hand, a carrying arm, for retaining the article and, on the other hand, a control arm.
Such stacking columns serve, in particular, for accommodating sheet-like articles, for example for the production of vehicle parts. However, there is also a large number of other application areas which are to be covered by the present invention.
The stacking columns are usually oriented vertically, as are those which are disclosed, for example, in DE 38 11 310.
The prior art also discloses sloping stacking columns, for example in EP 0 536 571. In this case, two wall strips are connected at an acute angle to a base surface, base plate or the like. The ratchet levers are arranged on the rotary spindles, between the two wall strips, vertically one after the other such that they are offset laterally in the same direction.
DE 40 20 864 C2, however, discloses a horizontally arranged stacking column or storage rail of the above-mentioned type in the case of which the wall strips are oriented vertically one beside the other. The rotary spindle for the ratchet is located, approximately horizontally, between the two wall strips. In the use position, the ratchets project upward out of the wall strip. The ratchet has control elements by means of which a following ratchet in each case is moved into the standby position.
In a fair number of cases, it is desirable for the article which is to be stored not to stand on the wall strips, and for the ratchet levers to act laterally on the article. The horizontal stacking column which has just been described is not suitable for this case.
The object of the present invention is to develop a horizontal stacking column of the above-mentioned type in the case of which the article does not come into contact with the wall strips, in particular does not stand on the wall strips, and in the case of which, the ratchet levers act laterally on the article.